When Darkness Returns
by MirskianQueen
Summary: Sequel to Path Of The Chosen. Anakin and Luke, his fifteen year old son and Padawan go to Orvax IV to investigate rumours of slavery. When a Sith Lord tracks them their mission becomes a fight for survival.
1. Prologue

_**WHEN DARKNESS RETURNS.**_

_**Sequel to Path Of The Chosen.**_

_**Anakin and Luke, his fifteen year old son and Padawan go to Orvax IV to investigate rumours of slavery. When a Sith Lord tracks them their mission becomes a fight for survival.**_

_**PROLOGUE.**_

"_Do you think they're really dealing with slavery?"_

_Looking at Luke, Anakin frowned and shook his head. "At this point, it's too early to tell." _

_The Senate's new anti-slavery laws had been put into effect five years ago, prohibiting slavery throughout the galaxy. A few months ago, the rumours had began; Rumours that Orvax IV had returned to slaving._

"_But what do you think?" Luke asked, staring up at his father. "Is it possible?"_

"_Anything is possible," his past had proved that. Anakin smiled at Luke, "right now, we don't have anything other than a few vague rumours." But if the rumours were true, and Orvax IV was dealing in slavery again... "We need to be careful, just in case." Turning to R2, Anakin smiled, unclipping his lightsaber from his belt he held it out to the droid. "Look after this for me, R2." _

_Luke didn't need to be told, following his father's lead, he gave R2 his lightsaber._

"_Let's go." _

_Luke nodded, trailing behind Anakin as they walked off their ship._

_Prime Minister Raeth Hellman was waiting for them at the foot of the ramp, "Master Skywalker, it is an honour to have you here."_

"_I only wish I was here under different circumstances." Waving Luke forward, Anakin smiled, "This is my Padawan, Luke Skywalker."_

"_Your son..." Looking the fifteen year old up and down, Prime Minister Hellman smiled, "well, with who your father is, we can expect great things from you." Looking back to Anakin, he frowned. "You don't have your lightsabers?"_

"_Jedi only carry their lightsabers on dangerous missions," Anakin lied, smiling as he and Luke walked to the waiting airspeeder with Prime Minister Hellman. "I hardly think lightsabers are necessary for something as trivial as our investigation."_

_Settling into the speeder, Prime Minister Hellman shook his head, "I am afraid you've wasted a journey..." He looked at Anakin, "... We don't have slavery here."_

"_Do you know who started the rumours?" Luke asked, sitting beside his father. _

"_No." Sighing, the Prime Minister shook his head. "We have been unable to find the person responsible."_

_x_

"_You must be tired after your journey here," Prime Minister Hellman smiled, "I will leave you to rest..." He lead Anakin and Luke to their room, "... I hope you and your son will join me for dinner."_

_Anakin inclined his head to the Prime Minister, "You are most kind, Prime Minister, Luke and I would be honoured to join you."_

_As he left, Luke folded his arms, "he's hiding _something_."_

"_I agreed," Anakin ushered Luke into the room, Prime Minister Hellman was definitely hiding something, and his fear that he and Luke would find him out was overwhelming. But that alone didn't make him guilty of slavery. "If he is dealing with slavery, we need to push him into a mistake."_

_It was Luke's turn to frown, "How?" _

_How indeed? Anakin grinned, "At dinner, I want you to push him, make him believe that you really believe the rumours. If he is guilty, he will either reveal something then, or he'll lead us to the slaves when he tries to cover it up."_

It's finally here!... Or at least beginning... The sequel we've been waiting for!

What do you think of Prime Minister Hellman?


	2. Chapter 1

_**WHEN DARKNESS RETURNS.**_

_**Sequel to Path Of The Chosen.**_

_**Anakin and Luke, his fifteen year old son and Padawan go to Orvax IV to investigate rumours of slavery. When a Sith Lord tracks them their mission becomes a fight for survival.**_

_**CHAPTER ONE.**_

As he sat down in his seat at the large table, Anakin smiled, "thank you for inviting us to dinner, Prime Minister."

"Well, I am merely grateful for the company." Prime Minister Hellman shrugged, "when you live alone as I do, it's very easy to become lonely with no one to talk to."

Luke glanced at the three girls who were carrying trays of food and drinks to the table, clearly they weren't what he called 'company'. Focusing on the prime Minister, he cocked his head. "You don't use droids?"

Shaking his head, Prime Minister Hellman lifting a glass from one of the trays. "I abhor droids."

Anakin nodded, taking a glass from the tray carrying the drinks; he took in her and the other two girls' appearances as he brought the glass to his lips; noting their quiet, submissive demeanor, and the slight look of fear as they served the Prime Minister, Luke and himself. Glancing at Luke, he surreptitiously nodded, giving his son the que he needed.

"Why are they afraid of us?"

Prime Minister Hellman frowned, taken aback. "The girls?" At Luke's nod, he shrugged, "I told you, I live alone, they're probably just nervous because you're strangers."

"That's perfectly understandable," Anakin commented, reassuring the Prime Minister as he filled his plate.

Luke frowned, "they aren't nervous though." He looked at Prime Minister Hellman, "they're afraid-"

"You are Jedi." The Prime Minister snapped, "it is only natural that they would be somewhat afraid of you."

Anakin noted the sweat forming on the Prime minister's forehead, and felt his growing panic. "Luke," Anakin looked at his son, "we are guests in Prime Minister hellman's home, don't insult him."

Taking his Father's que, Luke blinked innocently. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Letting his eyes widen, Luke shook his head vigorously, "I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

"This is Luke's first mission," Anakin said with a small smile, "He's just taking notice of everything." Shrugging, Anakin took a sip from his drink, "unfortunately it's rather easy to misread things and jump to the wrong conclusions when you don't have experience to fall back on."

"Well, perhaps you son should follow you lead then." Prime Minister hellman glanced at Luke, "At least until he has a little more experience of his own."

x

"Well, I think you successfully rattled him." Anakin grinned at Luke, sitting down on the edge of his bed, he closed his eyes. "Now, we wait."

"Do you think he's really stupid enough to lead us right to the slaves?" Luke asked, sitting down beside his father.

Anakin shrugged, "maybe." Now that he was convinced that at least Luke believed the rumours, he would either kill the slaves, or he'd try to kill them. "He might try to kill us to ensure that no one finds out about the slavery."

"What do we do?"

Looking at Luke, Anakin raised his eyebrows, "If he tries to kill us?..." Grinning, he glanced over at R2, "why do you think I made sure R2 had our lightsabers?"

xx

Prime Minister Raeth Hellman scowled at the security images of Luke and Anakin, he hadn't wanted to have to kill them, but they would investigate the 'rumours' and they would find the slaves, even if he had them killed.

No, the only way to protect himself, was to kill the Jedi and the slaves. He would start over, he could always blame the Jedi's deaths on any of the criminal lowlifes who lived on the planet.

"Prime Minister?" Paam Harloth, head of Raeth Hellman's Security, stood in the doorway. "Are we going ahead with the plan?"

"Yes," unfortunately there was no other way. Prime Minister Hellman nodded, "Order your men to attack."


End file.
